US immigration green card to be redesigned

All US green cards will now be issued in a new, more secure format after a major redesign, US immigration have announced.

The US Immigration Permanent Resident Card, commonly known as the “green card”, will now incorporate several major security features to deter counterfeiting and tampering, and aid accurate authentication of the card.

Holographic images, laser engraved fingerprints, and high resolution micro-images will make the card nearly impossible to reproduce, while radio frequency identification capability will allow Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry to read the card from a distance and compare it immediately to file data.

Some existing green cards bear an expiration date, and those cards will remain valid until the expiry date, when they will be replaced with the new version.

Other existing green cards have no expiration date, and those cards remain valid, but US immigration recommends that holders of these cards apply to replace their cards with the redesigned version.

The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people make US Visa applications to the American Embassy.